Floor plan

Time and place18th-century Italy

18th-century Italy

Warwick Castle: The East Front, by Canaletto, 1752
The painting depicts many large and small ships on blue-green water. Gondolas in shades of gold, black, red, and blue drift across the water, small people on them pushing long poles through the water. There are also large sailboats and long boats with several rowers. They create a colorful mix. On the left, a large brown building with columns is visible. Some of the boats pull up to it, and many people in colorful clothing are visible on the shore. Behind the water are more large buildings in shades of brown, cream, and tan, with even more people visible on the streets below them. There is a large tower in the center of the painting, and several blue domes are visible in the distance. The sky is light blue, with white and gray clouds drifting across it.
The Round Tower, from "Carceri d'invenzione" (Imaginary Prisons), by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, ca. 1749–50
STUDY FOR A PAINTING ON THEME OF CALLISTO
Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, by Giovanni Paolo Panini, ca. 1756–58
MADONNA AND SAINTS

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in Italy in the 18th century.

First room, north wall

  1. Warwick Castle: The East Front, by Canaletto, 1752
    Warwick Castle: The East FrontCanaletto, 1752Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The painting depicts many large and small ships on blue-green water. Gondolas in shades of gold, black, red, and blue drift across the water, small people on them pushing long poles through the water. There are also large sailboats and long boats with several rowers. They create a colorful mix. On the left, a large brown building with columns is visible. Some of the boats pull up to it, and many people in colorful clothing are visible on the shore. Behind the water are more large buildings in shades of brown, cream, and tan, with even more people visible on the streets below them. There is a large tower in the center of the painting, and several blue domes are visible in the distance. The sky is light blue, with white and gray clouds drifting across it.
    Procession of Gondolas in the Bacino di San Marco, VeniceAntonio Joli, 1742 or afterCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First room, south wall

  1. The Round Tower, from "Carceri d'invenzione" (Imaginary Prisons), by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, ca. 1749–50
    The Round Tower, from "Carceri d'invenzione" (Imaginary Prisons)Giovanni Battista Piranesi, ca. 1749–50Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. STUDY FOR A PAINTING ON THEME OF CALLISTO
    Study for a Painting on Theme of CallistoFilippo Falciatore, ca. 1750Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  3. Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, by Giovanni Paolo Panini, ca. 1756–58
    Scalinata della Trinità dei MontiGiovanni Paolo Panini, ca. 1756–58Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. MADONNA AND SAINTS
    Madonna and SaintsSebastiano Conca, ca. 1730Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Second room, south wall

  1. A Young Woman Buying a Pink from a Young Man, by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, c. 1740
    A Young Woman Buying a Pink from a Young ManGiovanni Battista Piazzetta, c. 1740Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of a Boy, ca. 1800
    Portrait of a BoyUnrecorded Italian maker, ca. 1800Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  3. A work made of chiaroscuro woodcut, from three blocks in pink, dark blue, and light blue, on cream laid paper.
    The Old ShepherdConte Antonio Maria Zanetti, the Elder, 1722Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. The Antechamber of the Sala del Maggior Consiglio, by Francesco Guardi, ca. 1765–68
    The Antechamber of the Sala del Maggior ConsiglioFrancesco Guardi, ca. 1765–68Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. Sketch for a Ceiling, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1750s
    Sketch for a CeilingGiovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1750sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. SKETCHES FOR A TABLET
    Sketches for a tabletCarlo Marchionni, ca. 1750Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  3. The Letter, by Pietro Longhi, 1746
    The LetterPietro Longhi, 1746Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. This is a painting of a group engaged in a music session, all looking towards a large open music book in a grand, architectural setting. Behind the group are tall, ornate columns and an arched background that opens up to show a cloudy blue sky. Most of the people have open mouths as if they are singing, while one man in the back seems to be conducting, holding a up roll of paper. Some of the people in the group are seated in cushioned wooden chairs, and a yellowish cloth is draped over the surface that the large book rests on. There is a string instrument similar to a cello near the bottom left corner. The colors used are rich, earthy browns, yellows, and reds, with elements of blue and white clothing. All of the people have pale skin, and two have long white mustaches.
    The ChoristersAlessandro Magnasco, c. 1740/1745Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Third room, north wall

  1. We look up through an opening surrounded by a stone ledge, with clusters of people and clouds swirling into a blue sky up and away from us in this vertical, rectangular painting. From a distance, the scene looks like a complete illusion but up close, the people, clouds, and architecture are sketchily painted. The ledge running around the opening has a gold, oval medallion at each corner. Appearing to be carved from white stone, two bearded men with long hair recline against each medallion, flanking them to each side in front of large shells that curve up over the people and frames them. A few architectural structures extend up into the sky, including a pointed obelisk in the lower left corner, a pair of columns at the upper right, and what seems to be the mast of a ship at the top left. Most of the people have pale skin but some have more tan complexions, and a few, including those wearing feather headdresses near the upper left corner, have brown skin. The people wear windswept robes of pale, butter yellow, robin’s egg blue, rose pink, and ivory. The eye may drawn to a few vignettes, such as the man holding a rearing, chestnut-brown horse on the illusionistic ledge near the lower right, a nun wearing a white robe and holding a cross above him in the clouds, and, farthest away, a crowned person sitting on a throne.
    Wealth and Benefits of the Spanish Monarchy under Charles IIIGiovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1762Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. WORKING PEASANT
    Working PeasantCarlo Marchionni, 1728–78Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum